Guyana is monitoring the cancellations of a number of Caribbean Airlines flights which yesterday left hundreds of travelers stranded both locally and overseas, and Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill has said that the airline has attributed the disruptions to a human resource problems with its pilots.
“The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority is in touch with CAL and we are monitoring,” Edghill told Stabroek News last evening when contacted.
Last night, CAL announced that it had chartered aircraft to ferry passengers from Miami and Fort Lauderdale to Trinidad. The flights were to leave Miami International Airport at 9 and 10 last night. Those chartered flights are expected to ferry passengers from Trinidad to Miami at 1 pm and 2 pm today.
Edghill said that he was briefed by GCAA Head, Colonel Egbert Field (Ret’d) who told him that the airline’s “senior management advised that they are suffering from human resource problems” with the pilots but that they were “addressing the issue.” CAL ascribed the cancellations to the high volume of pilots reporting sick, even as it informed that it is currently in negotiations with the pilots for a collective agreement.
Sickouts are taken as an organized absence from work by employees on the pretext of sickness, in most cases to avoid the legal problems or anti-strike clauses that would be invoked in the case of a formal strike.
“Today, there has been a remarkably high volume of calls from pilots reporting that they are unwell and unable to report for duty. These calls came in at approximately three (3) hours prior to flight departure times. It is to be noted that the airline is currently in negotiations with the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association over a collective agreement for the period 2015 -2018,” the airline said in a statement.
“As a result of the sick calls, Caribbean Airlines has had to cancel several flights, these are listed below for your reference. Our dedicated Reservations Service Centre is actively working to contact all affected customers. However, due to the number of individuals impacted, this process is currently ongoing,” it added. The airline also cautioned passengers against traveling to their respective airports, leaving thousands of passengers monitoring the airline’s website, of their departures. To ensure that customers receive automatic updates and notifications for their flights, CAL is asking passengers to update their contact information on a web link provided (https://www.caribbean-airlines.com/#/caribbean-flight-notifications).
The airline said that the updated process will assist it in keeping its customers informed promptly and accurately.
“We want to emphasize that if your flight is cancelled, there is no need for you to head to the airport until we have contacted you with information about your new flight date and time. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to resolve these unexpected challenges and provide the necessary support to our affected customers,” CAL stressed.
Guyanese journalist Mark Murray bemoaned the lack of communication between the airline and its passengers, as he lamented on his experience at the Piarco Airport, in Trinidad. Murray said that he had already checked out of his accommodation after “they sent me a message telling me my flight was on time.” Then when he got to the airport he heard that it was “likely to be cancelled”. “I got my boarding pass and checked my bag, then, Boom! Two hours later, oh flight cancelled,” he lamented.
And because of the flight disruptions, hotel accommodations on the island was in demand. Murray said he had to wait for over seven hours before he got a hotel room. The Trinidad and Tobago headquartered airline said that flights affected ranged from Trinidad-Barbados-Ogle, Guyana; Ogle, Guyana-Barbados-Trinidad-Ogle, Guyana; Ogle, Guyana-Trinidad-St Lucia; St. Lucia-Trinidad-Barbados-Trinidad; Trinidad-Fort Lauderdale; Fort Lauderdale-Trinidad; Trinidad-Orlando, Miami-Trinidad.
And as it referred to reports from the Trinidad Express that pointed to the sickout by the pilots as reported strike action, the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA) refuted the claims. “TTALPA fervently rebuts these allegations and wishes to inform the public that we are unaware of any strike action being taken by the pilot body,” a statement said.
“In accordance with section 67(2) of the Industrial Relations Act, Chapter 88:01 the pilot body and its members are barred from taking such industrial action since any employer or worker engaged in an essential service is barred from taking industrial action in connection with any such essential service. It is therefore mischievous of the news source to print and disperse such propaganda to the public. TTALPA and its members therefore refute the allegations of the news article and ensure the public that its members continue to fly with their safety and best interests at heart,” it added.
